Why was this woman with a face painting denied entry into Golden Temple?

A video showing a woman being allegedly denied entry into the Golden Temple at Amritsar has now gone viral on social media. The woman had painted her face with three stripes of white, green, and saffron.

According to media reports, the video drew sharp criticism from netizens after the person who shared it alleged that the woman had painted India's National flag on her face. The woman alleged that the man who denied her entry also claimed that 'this is not India, it is Punjab.'

In the video, the guard at the Golden Temple can be seen saying, "It's Punjab", when he was confronted by another man who accompanied the woman who asked, "Is this not India?"

Amid the ongoing controversy, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has now issued a clarification in relation to the incident. Gurcharan Singh Grewal, SGPC General Secretary said in the viral video, "This is a Sikh shrine. Every religious place has its own decorum...We welcome everyone...We apologise if an official misbehaved...The flag on her face was not our national flag as it didn't have Ashoka Chakra. It could have been a political flag."

The contention comes at a time when the pro-Khalistan radical preacher and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh has been evading the Punjab police.